Flying flags at half-mast last week on the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia caused offence to people with a modern education because to many he represented repression of the harshest kind – witness the recent sentence of ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes for a blogger who criticised clerical authorities.

Christian bigotry once had a fearsome reputation in dealing with those who opposed the established form of religion.

Punishments included being buried alive, burnt at the stake, having one’s ears cut off, tongue cut out, nose split or a hot iron run round the inside of the mouth.

But in Europe such treatment stopped 300 years ago in Britain blasphemy – attacking the established religion – remained on the statute book as a crime until 2008, but no one had been jailed since 1921. Our last execution was way, way back – in 1697!

The last person to be beheaded was Lord Lovat in 1747, for treason in joining the Jacobite Rebellion. Despite public hangings attracting thousands of spectators they were abolished in 1868, and the death penalty itself in 1965.

As for flogging, in the Navy by the 1770s it was limited to a dozen lashes and had ceased by the 1880s. It survived in prisons, but was finally abolished in 1948.

Time to study history and learn its lessons. I’m proud that here in Chandler’s Ford a Christian church offered its premises to Muslims to hold a meeting and the Muslims accepted.

Mutual respect and toleration, and everyone stands tall.

MARTIN KYRLE, Address supplied.